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Tuesday, July 08, 2014

Misuse of taxpayers' money problem in presidential campaign

Misuse of taxpayers' money problem in presidential campaign

Amid calls for the resignation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his campaign for the presidency, experts have said that the most important issue is the possible misuse of taxpayers' money and state funds, rather than resignation.

The law on presidential elections in Turkey -- which was passed in 2012, following on from the change made in the way the president is elected in Turkey after the 2007 election -- does not require the resignation of the prime minister if he or she runs for president, unlike for almost all other public officials. As a result, there is no legal problem preventing Erdoğan from running for president while remaining in his position. However, the opposition has claimed that there are ethical issues involved and concern over the use of state funds in the run-up to the election.

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